


the lighter side of life

by drowninginmyworries



Category: Brooklyn Nine-Nine (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Horses, This is TRULY the most self indulgent thing I have ever written, inspired by Jake riding Lt. Peanut Butter in the finale, pure fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-26
Updated: 2020-04-26
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:27:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,689
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23853043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/drowninginmyworries/pseuds/drowninginmyworries
Summary: Jake takes Amy on their first date since having Mac, and it's really not what she expects.
Relationships: Jake Peralta/Amy Santiago
Comments: 14
Kudos: 65





	the lighter side of life

“Are you going to tell us where we’re going?” Amy asks Jake, smiling amusedly. 

“Nope!” he sing-songs, looking far too proud of himself. “All I can tell you is that this is different from the kind of thing we’d normally do, and you’re going to love it.”

Jake’s practically vibrating with excitement in the driver’s seat, one hand on the wheel as they continue to drive down the parkway, the other clasped over her hand in between them. 

They’re going on their first date since Mac was born, and while Amy can’t be more ecstatic to finally be feeling normal enough to have some uninterrupted one-on-one leisure time with her husband, a part of her almost feels guilty to be leaving Mac alone. 

_He’s not alone_ , she quickly corrects herself. _He’s in no danger. Rosa’s with him at the apartment, and she knows him. Rosa said she memorized the babysitter binder. Rosa’s the scariest babysitter possibly to ever live and could probably break someone’s neck with only one hand. Mac is okay._

Jake squeezes her hand, pulling her out of her thoughts. His eyes flit over to her, understanding coloring his face. 

“I miss him, too,” he says softly, his lips curving up in a small smile. “And we’ll be back home in less than two hours.”

Amy nods, returning his smile hesitantly, but it must not be convincing enough. 

“Hey, you know we can turn around and go back though, right?” he says, so earnest. “We don’t have to do this. I’d be just as happy spending time with you at home with Mac screaming at us as I would be on our date.” 

“I know,” she replies, smiling a little bigger and lifting his hand up to her mouth to kiss it. “But I want to do this. We haven’t been on a date in six months, and we haven’t done anything other than work and be at home. I miss Mac, but I miss this, too.” 

“Me, too,” he says, shooting her a fond look before his eyes go back to the road, putting on the turn signal and taking an exit. 

Amy lifts an eyebrow at him as she takes in the change of scenery, the concrete jungle slowly changing to a more peaceful, green, natural setting. Tall trees line the new road they drive on, and there’s not a cloud in the sky. It’s so picturesque, reminding her of that terribly weird drive home from their road trip with their then-significant others a few years ago. 

Oh, how times have changed. 

It’s hard to think of a time where her feelings for Jake were merely just crush-level, that there was once a time where he wasn’t the most important person in her life. 

Well, it’s a tie now, but Amy knows Jake couldn’t be happier to be sharing his spot as number one in her heart with little McClane. 

God, she misses him. She saw him just thirty minutes ago and played with his chubby cheeks and hands and feet and gave him kisses and tickled his tummy, promising she and Jake would be back soon as he smiled up at her, but she still misses him so much it almost hurts. She’s not sure how she’s been making it through all her workdays without him, because she longs for him with such an intensity that it makes her FOMOW seem powerless. 

“Babe, we’re here!” 

Jake pulls onto another road, a dirt one leading further out into the trees, and his grin widens as they reach a clearing, Jamaica Bay visible out in the distance. That’s not what catches her eye though, even if it _is_ a beautiful sight. 

Barns and fences fill the property, and horses are frolicking in the pastures that line the road as they drive to the main parking lot. It’s completely empty except for them.

“Jake,” she begins, unable to keep the grin out of her voice. “What are we doing at a stable?” 

“We’re gonna ride some horses!” 

His smile is absolutely blinding, and she laughs, her own cheeks already beginning to sting - a familiar sensation after being with Jake for so long. 

“Jake, we’re total city people! We have no idea how to ride horses,” she points out, but it’s not a protest. 

“Correction, _you_ have no idea how to ride a horse,” he says cockily, smirking. “I’ll have you remember that _I_ bravely rode Lieutenant Peanut Butter through the streets of Brooklyn to get to you in time when Mac was born. I was like a knight in shining armor, Ames!” 

She chuckles as they get out of the car, looking around questioningly at the seemingly deserted space.

“Where is everyone?”

“Oh, they’re normally closed here on Sundays, but they said they’d allow us in today after I explained that I know Lieutenant Peanut Butter,” he says, winking. 

“You’re kidding.”

“I’m actually not! Apparently he’s some kind of hero around here.” 

Jake takes her hand, swinging it between them as they walk over to the barn, a stablehand waving at them from the entrance. 

“Hi, Jake! Good to meet you in person,” she greets with a polite smile, shaking his hand. “And you must be Amy. Jake told us _all_ about you.” 

“Thank you so much for having us here today,” Amy says gratefully, already making a mental note to send the stable owners a thank you card.

“ _Anything_ for a friend of Lieutenant Peanut Butter,” the stablehand answers very seriously, and Amy thinks she hears Jake choke back a giggle as they’re beckoned into an office. 

“Okay, I’ll leave you two here to fill out those waivers, and as soon as you’re done you can meet me outside,” the stablehand says, handing them some forms before walking out of the room and into the shedrow. 

Suddenly, nerves ball up in her stomach as she looks down at the form, ‘Equine Liability Waiver,’ printed at the top in big, bold letters. 

“Are you sure this is safe?” she asks, her voice going up a pitch as she turns to Jake who’s already begun to fill out his waiver. “I mean, I’ve never even really been on a horse - eight drink Amy doesn’t count - and there’s so much that can go wrong, right? Those things weigh what, half a ton?” 

“Babe, it’s okay,” Jake soothes, running one of his hands down her arm. “The workers will be watching us the whole time, and it’s very safe as long as we follow their instructions. I mean, literal children ride them all the time, and nothing happens! And it’s not like we’re going to be on wild horses. These ones are super chill and used to having beginners on their backs. I made sure to ask about everything safety-related ahead of time. It’ll be okay, I _promise_.” 

He squeezes her hand, thumb swiping across her knuckles reassuringly. 

“Besides, I made sure to ask that they put you on the _very best_ horse, and they said they would!” 

Amy releases the breath she didn’t know she was holding and smiles at him, finally picking up a pen and signing the form. When she’s done, Jake offers her his hand again, and they walk out into the main barn, greeted by the stablehand and two horses, already saddled and tied to the outside of some stalls. 

“Okay, since you’re both new, you’ll be up on two beginner horses today. Jake, you’ll be on Midnight, the black one. He was on the force with the mounted unit and retired after fifteen years of service!” 

Jake positively lights up, and he turns to Amy excitedly. 

“Ames, my horse was a cop! How cool is that?!” 

His joy is infectious, and she can’t help but smile widely along with him, her heart melting a little when he reaches out to pat the horse’s head and says “hi” in a high-pitched voice, almost like he does when he talks to Mac. 

“And Amy, per Jake’s request, we put you on the best horse. This is Biscuit!” the stablehand says, gesturing for her to come closer to the brown horse beside them. Then, she grumbles, “he’s no Lieutenant Peanut Butter, though.” 

Biscuit’s head hangs a little lower, but his ears prick forward as she approaches, turning so she has full view of the long white stripe that runs down his face. He must be very old, because most of the fur on his face has a gray tinge to it, the spaces right above his eyes all hollowed out. 

“Pet him, Ames! They’re so soft!” Jake encourages, scratching his horse’s neck. 

Slowly, she lifts a hand up to touch the side of Biscuit's head, and she finds Jake is right. He _is_ so soft, almost like a fuzzy stuffed animal. 

The stablehand comes up behind her, offering her a hand full of sugar cubes, saying that feeding the horses before a ride is a good way to build a sense of trust between horse and rider.

“Make sure to keep your palm flat so he doesn’t nip any skin by accident,” Jake pipes up from beside her, coming a little closer and gently fixing her fingers until her whole hand is perfectly perpendicular to the floor. 

Amy turns to him, eyes narrowed. “Since when do you know so much about horses?”

Jake winks. 

“I may have done a _ton_ of research before we came out here.” Then, he leans closer. “Enough to fit in a _binder_.” 

She swallows hard, watching Jake smirk as she feels a sudden rush of heat through her body at his words, because really, it’s been _so_ long and he knows exactly how to get her going. The jerk had this all planned out. 

“Not here,” she says lowly, and Jake’s close enough for her to feel his chuckle more than hear it. 

Then, she lifts her hand up to the horse’s mouth, gasping a little when he gently plucks the treats from her palm. 

“Pretty dope, right?” Jake asks. 

She nods at him with a small grin as she pets the horse again, rubbing his pink nose. 

“I don’t think I ever would’ve described a horse as cute, but this one definitely is. Right?” she asks. 

“For sure,” Jake affirms, looking at them amusedly. 

“Ready to get on?” the stablehand asks, holding up two helmets. 

She still feels a little nervous, because horses are seriously _so big_ , but the way Jake fist pumps excitedly and eagerly takes a helmet distracts her. Instead of putting it on himself though, he turns and places it on her head, snapping it on securely with a little peck to her lips that makes her feel giddy. 

"Safety first!” he chirps, snapping his own helmet into place. 

Then, the stablehand takes the reins and throws them over Biscuit’s neck and places what looks like a miniature staircase at his side for Amy to climb up on, and it’s only when she takes the first step up she fully realizes how far it is from a horse’s back to the ground. 

“Hey, you’re okay,” Jake says, able to read her face all-too-easily. “It’s going to be so fun.” 

He offers her a reassuring grin, and it’s enough to make her worries dissipate, so she takes another step up and swings her leg up over the horse’s back, pulling herself up until she’s comfortably seated in the saddle. 

“Are you good?” Jake asks. “No pain? Comfy up there?” 

“No pain,” she confirms, _thank god_. 

“Good,” he says, proceeding to walk back to his horse and then _very_ gracelessly climb on board, fumbling with the reins that unevenly hung at the horse’s neck. 

Amy laughs at him for a brief moment, shaking her head when he tries to be suave about it. 

“See, it was harder for me though, because I didn’t have a steppy-thing like you did,” he tries to reason, but she just rolls her eyes. 

“Okay,” the stablehand interrupts. “Let’s take these two out of the barn, and then you can walk along Jamaica Bay.” 

“Uh, how do I make him go?” Amy asks, still a little apprehensive. 

“Press your heels into his side gently,” Jake answers quickly, sending his own horse moving forward. 

“You sure know a whole lot for someone who doesn’t do this,” the stablehand says, impressed. 

“ _Well_ , I did ride Lieutenant Peanut Butter through stalled traffic during that blackout a few months ago so I could see the birth of our son in time,” Jake brags, and the stablehand gasps because _don’t they know Lieutenant Peanut Butter is a hero and that riding him is the greatest honor to come upon anyone, ever?_

While Jake listens to the stablehand fangirl, Amy mimics his motions, urging Biscuit forward and inhaling sharply when he takes a few steps forward. 

“I did it!” 

Jake turns back, sending her a toothy grin. “I knew you could, babe! I told you it was easy!”

They follow the stablehand out of the barn, now walking side by side as they follow the trail to the bay. 

“Alright Jake, you got me. This is really awesome,” she says happily, reaching down to pat the horse’s neck. 

And it _really_ is. The horse beneath her is so big and powerful, with a mind of his own and perfectly capable of harming everyone, but he’s taking her signals and obeying her. The horse must only be around five feet tall, max, but as Amy sits on him, Jake at her side, she feels like she’s on top of the world. 

“I knew you’d love it. Now you can add horsemanship to your resume.”

He says it as a tease, but she gasps anyway. 

“I totally can!”

Jake throws back his head and laughs from deep in his belly before reaching across the space between them to grab her hand and squeeze it, his eyes sparkling with unbridled affection. 

There’s almost nothing in the whole world that can measure up to this. 

Almost. 

~~~

“We’re hooooome!” Jake calls out, pushing the door to the apartment open. 

“In the kitchen!” Rosa yells back, and Amy quickly hangs her purse on the hook by the door before rushing over. 

The sight she’s met with is utterly adorable: Mac is sitting in his highchair, baby food smeared across his face, gripping a tiny baby spoon in one hand while Rosa sits patiently holding a different one, a small smile tugging at her face. 

“Hi baby,” Amy coos, lifting him out and into her arms, peppering the top of his head with kisses as she reaches for a wipe to clean his face. “Oh, I missed you so much!” 

They’re immediately joined by Jake, who throws his arms around them both to create a big family love sandwich. 

“Hello to you too, guys,” Rosa greets drily. “I take it the date went great?”

“Not as great as this,” Jake says, taking Mac from Amy’s arms and cuddling him to his chest delightedly. 

Amy’s so fixated on the sight she nearly doesn’t see Rosa roll her eyes, but then she smiles fondly. 

“How was he?” she asks, finally turning to Rosa. 

“He was perfect. He’s an easy baby.” 

“Thank you _so much_ for looking after him. We really appreciate it,” Amy continues. “You’re the best.” 

“No problem,” Rosa answers easily. “I really like hanging out with someone who’s actually cool.” 

“Hey! We’re cool!” Jake says, affronted. 

“Sure you are.”

Rosa smirks at them both before Amy walks her to the door, sending her off with a squeeze on the shoulder because she _insists_ she still doesn’t do hugs. 

When she turns back to the living room, Jake’s stretched out across the couch, Mac already asleep on his chest, and her heart threatens to explode from how cute they are. 

“Our date was super fun, but is it wrong that I don’t think they’ll ever measure up to just hanging out with him, now?” Jake asks, voice quieter as he minds his sleeping son. 

“No,” Amy answers, smiling as she sits beside him on the couch so he can rest his head in her lap. “No. Not at all.” 

  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> So, Jake riding Lt. Peanut Butter made me feel some kind of way, and then this happened! Anyway, I was a crazy horse girl when I was a kid, and I'm still a crazy horse girl now at 21. Hence, this fic! 
> 
> Thank you SO much to the great @vernonfielding/Fielding for the quick beta. You're the best, and. you're a freaking superhero these days. <3
> 
> I'm @fezzle on tumblr. Come say hi! And comments are my lifeblood!


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